Several government contracting industry leaders have commended President Donald Trump’s move to sign a memorandum on China’s trade practices.

The White House memo would authorize the U.S. trade representative to decide whether to conduct an investigation into China’s alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property, The Hill reported Monday.

“Safeguarding our intellectual property against nation-state sponsored cyber theft is key to protecting our national security, economy, and our ability to innovate though technological breakthroughs,” Leidos CEO Roger Krone said in a statement published Monday.

“The risk of theft has an ongoing impact on all aspects of life for our citizens, and costs billions of dollars each year that could be better spent on research and development,” added Krone, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2017.

Other GovCon executives who praised the White House memo include:

David Alexander, president of General Atomics’ aeronautical systems business

Keith Alexander, IronNet Cybersecurity founder, president and CEO

Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin chairman, president and CEO

Phebe Novakovic, General Dynamics chairman and CEO

Thomas Kennedy, Raytheon chairman and CEO

Wes Bush, Northrop Grumman chairman, president and CEO

“We will safeguard the copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and other intellectual property that is so vital to our security and to our prosperity,” Trump said during a Monday ceremony at the White House.

He added that his administration could launch additional measures in the future against the Asian country’s trade practices.

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